Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-05-28

ward discor cred that Il could not cover less
than City square miles OF groand Anything
more grand and imposing than tho sight pre-
sented by this great natural castle, starting
in solitary grandeur from the level Of the
plain, never saw, and suppose never shall
Its very solitude added TO its majesty, and It's
towering cliffs seemed to kiss the sky. Indeed,
generally speaking, they were clothed in
clouds that lsy in fleocy masses upon their
broad and levsl battlaments.
l sat up In my hammock and gazed out
across tho plain at this thrilling and majestic
sight, and suppose that Blllall noticed IL, for
he brought his litter alongside.
"Bohold the house Of e-who-must-be-
obeyodl" he said. aHad over queen such
throne beforeFs f laa
ut Is wonderful, my father answered.
aBut how does one enterl Those cliffs look
hard to climb"
Thou shalt sec, my Baboon. Look now at
tho plain below US. What thinhest thou that
II Isl Thou art a wise man. Come, tell me-
looked and saw what appeared TO be tho
line ofroadway running straight toward the
base Of the mountain, though 1t was covered
with turf. There were high banks ON each
side Of it, broken here and there, but fairly
continuous ON tho whole, the meaning Of
which did not understand. II seemed 50
very odd that anybody could elnbank road
way
swell, my father" answered, II suppose
thrt IL is u road, otherwise would have been
inclined to say that 1t was the bed Of a river,
or rather" added, Observing the extraor-
binary directness Of tho cutting, "of a canal. y
Billali-who, by tho way was none the
worse for his immersion OF the day BEFORE
nodded his head sagcly as he replied: Thou
art right, my son. 1t Ia O channel cut out by
those who were before us In this place to
carry away water or this am sure: within
tho rocky circle of the great mountain
whittier we journey was once a great lake.
But those who were before us, by wonderful
arts OF which know naught, hewed a path
for the water through tho solid rock Of the
mountain, piercing even to the bed Of tho
Lake. But first they cut the channel that thou
seest across the plain. Then, when ut last the
water burst out, it rushed down the channel
that had been mado TO receive it and crossed
CHS plain till 1t reached the low land behind
tho rise, and there, perchance, 1t made the
swamp through which we have come. Then
when the lake was drained dry, the people
whereof speak built mighty city, whereof
naught but ruins and the name OF Kor yet TO
nlaineth, ON its bed, and from age to age
hewed the caves and passages that thou wilt
see.n
| ut may be- answered. @But IL so, how
is 1t that the lakes do not fill up again. with
the rainsln
may, my son, tho people were a wise PEG
pie, and they left drain to keep it clear
Seest thou the river to the right 7" and h
pointed to fair-sized stream that wounC
away across the plain, some four miles from
us HThat Is the drain, and it comes gu
through the mountain where this cutting
goes in. AT first, perhaps the water raj
down this canal, but afterward the peopl
turned 1t, and used the cutting for road"
sand Is there, then, no other place wher,
one may enter into tho great mountain
asked, except through the drain r
There Is a place. he answered, awher,
cattle and men on foot may cross with mucl
labor, but it is secret. A year highest thol
search and shouldst never find 1t. 1t Is onl,
used once year, whom the herds of cattl
that have been fatting on the slopes of tn
mountain, and on this plain, are driven int
the space within.n
"And does She live there always n / asked
"or does she come at times without the noun
tain n
NAY, my son, where She Is, there She isr
By now wo were we'll on to the great plain
and was examining with delight the varie
beauty Of its semi-tropical flowers and trees
the latter Of which grew singly, or at most 4
clumps Of three or four, much Of the timbe
being of largo size, and belonging apparent
10 variety of evergreen oak. There wer
also many palms, some Of them more tina
: 100 feet high, and the largest and most beau
!, tiful tree ferns that ever saw, about whic
hung clouds Of jeweled honey suckers an
great winged butterflies. Wandering abou
among the trees, or crouching In the long an
feathered grass, were all varieties Of gam,
, from rhinoceros down. l saw rhinocero
buffalo "a large herd), Gland, quagga al,
sable antelope, the most beautiful of all til
bucks not TO mention many smaller varietie
Of game, and three ostriches which scudde
away al our approach like white drift bofor
gale SO plentiful was tho game that q
last could stand it no longer. had sing
barrel sporting Martini with me in the ittel
the Express being too cumbersome, ant
espying q beautiful fat Gland rubbing himse
under ono of tho oak like trees, jumped out
the litter, and proceeded to creep as near |
him as / could. He let me come within
yards and then turned his head and stare
! at me preparatory to running away. I lifte
the rifle, and taking him about midway dow
the shoulder, for he was side on to me, free
never made a cleaner shot or better kin 1
all my small experience, for the great buc
sprung right up into the air and fell deat
] The hearers, who had all halted to see Il
, performance, gave murmur Of surprise.
( an unwonted compliment from these sulle
! people, who never appear to be surprised
anything-an party Of the guard at one
, RAN off to cut the animal up. As for mysel
: though was longing to have look ut hin
, l sauntered back to my litter as though ha
been in the habit Of killing Gland all my liz
> feeling that had gone up several degrees
5 the estimation Of the Amahagger, who locke
, on the whole thing as very high class man
festation of witchcraft As matter Of fac
. however, had never seen an Gland In vii
state before. Billali received me with enth,
3 siasm ra H5
> ut Is wonderful, my son the Baboon," l
: cried, wonderful Thou art very gres
{ man, though so ugly. Had not seen, surel
3 / would never have believed. And tho
, sayest thou wilt teach me to slay in th
: fashion,
I